Accommodation

Researchers arriving to Hungary usually rent real estates. This is the best way to rest on your own after a busy working day. Flat/House rental costs vary according to real estate size, closeness to center and to main means of transport. Usually from 50,000 HUF one can rent a smaller flat (30-40m2, 1 room) to which comes the cost of used utilities (water, gas, electricity, in case of flats - common cost) with approximately 30,000HUF per month. Cheaper solutions are sub-tenancy when you rent a room with a living-in owner or renting a flat together with other tenants. This way total accommodation cost can be as low as 40,000HUF per month. All tenants are asked to pay a deposit in advance which is usually 2-3 months’ rental fee. Owners tend to let their real estates for a minimum period of half a year.
Universities usually can also guarantee accommodation for a limited number of foreign Ph.D. students in their dormitories. This is the cheapest solution therefore it is worth asking the target university’s international office about this opportunity in advance.

http://realestatehungary.hu/belepes_en.php
http://www.renthungary.com


School

 

Education in Hungary is compulsory for all children between 6 and 18 years. The basic system is 8 years of elementary school plus 4 years of secondary schoolwith the 2 alternatives of 4 years elementary plus 8 years secondary and 6 years elementary + 6 years secondary school combinations

 

 

The current structure consist of the following five levels:

• pre-primary education / kindergarten (age 3 to 6)
• elementary school
• general secondary school or vocational secondary school
• university or college
• doctoral studies leading to a Ph.D. or other postgraduate studies

If you wish to move to Hungary for research togehter with family consisting children under 18 years, you can find the list of Budapest international schools on the following link:

http://www.filolog.com/crosscultureRelocationSchools.html

 

The Hungarian higher education consists of 3 levels:

• Bachelor (college) studies (3-4 years or 180-240 credit points)
• Master (university) studies (after bachelor studies plus 1-2 years or 60-120 credit points)
• Doctoral (Ph.D.) studies (after master studies plus 3 years or 180 credit points) or other postgraduate studies

 

The doctoral study programme follows any Master’s or equivalent qualification. In addition, each candidate needs to possess an intermediate level foreign language certificate and has to take an entrance exam which includes a written dissertation plan and an interview. The institutions are entitled to including further entrance requirements. A doctoral study programme consists of two modules: the teaching module is composed of a course lasting 3 years (180 credit points) and a written thesis supported by scientific publications. The applicants have to pass two oral doctoral exams and have to defend their thesis. A doctoral degree awarding process requires an intermediate level of linguistic proficiency in two foreign languages.

 

More information on the Hungarian education on the following link:

http://english.tpf.hu/pages/content/index.php?page_id=81

 

 

Kindergartens, Daycare Centres, Nurseries

 

The kindergarten (óvoda) is the first stage of the Hungarian education system. Every child between three and six has the right to attend a nursery school. Attending the kindergarten from the age of five is compulsory. With a maximum of four hours a day, the children are supposed to be prepared for the demands of school. Several kindergartens provide some education (foreign languages, music, etc.) but the children spend most of their time playing. Kindergarten teachers need a college education to work in a kindergarten. There are private kindergartens but most of them are funded by their city.

Links to kindergartens in Hungary:

A-Z International Centre for Children
The English Garden Pre-School
Greater Grace International School
Happy Kids International Kindergarten
International School of Budapest
Kids' Kiosk
Little Star International Eco Kindergarten
Planet Kids English Center for Children
Under the Rainbow Pre-School and Kindergarten

 

 

Au Pairs

 

Au Pairs, in Hungarian “bébiszitter” or “gyerekcsősz”, provide individualised care and have more flexible hours. They usually look after several children at a time in their own homes or go to your home. Au Pairs are trained and must have an official license. You can find the names of babysitters in small ads in the newspaper or search on the web. The best way of finding babysitters to look after your children for a few hours during the day or in the evenings, is to ask colleagues or neighbours.

Link to a Hungarian au pair agency: http://www.aupairkft.hu/en/csalad-bszsz.html

 

Hungarian Language Courses

The most efficient way to learn a language is to be in direct contact with speakers of the target language. So, if you aren’t an extrovert already become one! Go out and meet some Hungarians- they are very friendly people and it’s fun to hear Hungarian spoken in the company of foreigners. If you would like to take a language course, there are many places where you can give it a go. Believe us, it’s worth it!
Universities usually organise different types of Hungarian language (and culture) courses for foreigners of which you can get more information in advance of the international office of the institute. On the below link you can find the list of the most favourite courses:
http://english.tpf.hu/pages/content/index.php?page_id=98

 

We also recommend you the language and cultural courses of the Balassi Bálint institute, which aims at preserving and promoting Hungarian culture. On the following link you can get more information on these courses:

http://www.bbi.hu/index.php?id=99&fid=110


Hungarian cuisine

Hungarian cuisine is multi-super-varied, so picky eaters are just as likely to find something that suits as omnivorous. The 2 most unique meal types in Hungarian cuisine are főzelék (various vegetables prepared in a special way, served cooked and bearing some similarity to a very thick soup) and the cold fruit soup, also served in various fruit combinations.
In Hungary, a typical breakfast may consist of fresh bread, cold sausage type minced meat (such as kolbász or szalámi), vegetables or jam. Lunch is the major meal of the day, usually consisting of three courses: soup is followed by a main dish and a dessert. What is locally referred to as 'salad' is absolutely different from your notion of salad in that it usually means pickled vegetables eaten along with the main course. Green salad is not part of the traditional Hungarian cuisine. Normally, dinner is far less significant a meal than lunch. It is a bit like breakfast, consisting mainly of a cold meal.

 

Typical dishes you should try while in Hungary:
Gulyásleves (goulash soup), húsleves (meat soup), halászlé (fish soup), hideg meggyleves (cold sour cherry soup), Jókai bableves (bean soup Jókai style), Hortobágyi palacsinta (pancake filled with meat), túrós csusza (pasta with cottage cheese), töltött káposzta (stuffed cabbage), pörkölt (stew made of different kinds of meat), lecsó (stewed onions, tomatoes and peppers), paprikás krumpli (potatoes with paprika), Somlói galuska (cake covered in chocolate and lots of cream), mákos guba (poppy-seed dumplings), szilvás gombóc (dumplings filled with plum), Dobos torta (chocolate cake with a special top on it), rétes (strudel), szaloncukor (special Christmas sweet), bejgli (Christmas cake filled with walnut or poppy-seed), lángos (scone), pogácsa (small savoury scone).

 

 

Public transport and car driving
 

If you arrived safely to Hungary there are a number of ways to travel within the country. The public transport system of Hungary is very good. There are no domestic flights but there is an extensive coach and train service for long distance travels. Budapest is the clear center of public transport in Hungary, from there you can easily reach any destination. The national coach company is Volánbusz,please see schedules at the following link: http://www.volanbusz.hu/en/. The national train company is MÁV-START, have a look at its schedules here: http://mav-start.hu/english/.
 

Public transport of Budapest is good. You can pick up free maps and public transport maps at travel agencies, airports, bus and train stations, and tourist information booths. Budapest has the most comprehensive public transport system in the country, including buses, trams, metro/underground lines, and the HÉV, which are suburban commuter trains. If you want to get A to B there is an entertaining selection of routes from which to choose. The three metro lines are yellow (1st), red (2nd), and blue (3rd).The yellow line was the first underground line in continental Europe. At each stop you get a chance to admire the turn-of-the-century decor and a small historical exhibition. The HÉV connects the capital with surrounding towns and villages that make ideal destination for weekend excursion (e.g., Szentendre and Gödöllő). On the main bus lines there are night services that run between 11 pm and 4.30 am, of course according to special timetable. You can look at all Budapest Public Transport company (BKV) schedules on the following site: http://www.bkv.hu/en/
 

Usually there is bus local public transport in other towns of Hungary but in Debrecen, Miskolc and Szeged we can also find trams.
 

Foreigners driving a car in Hungary are required to have a valid international driving licence. Valid car insurance papers are also compulsory. If you have a residency permit and want to use your own car in the country, you have to register it at the Hungarian Customs Authority and obtain the ’V’ number plate. This long and expensive procedure requires a big bank deposit and an excise fee payment from your side according to the value of your car. Therefore we recommend hiring a car in Hungary for long term except for importing yours.
 

Driving is on the right-hand side and the seatbelt is compulsory. The speed limit within residential areas is 50 km/h, 90 km/h for secondary roads, 110 km/h for highways and 130 km/h for motorways. It is required to buy a vignette for driving on motorways and most of the parking places are also not free. More information:

http://www.budapesthotels.com/touristguide/CarMotorcycle.asp

 

 

Shopping, post office, banking
 

Most stores are open from Monday till Friday between 10 am and 6/7 pm and on Saturday between 10 am and 2 pm. Shopping centres and hypermarkets usually have longer opening hours, from Monday till Sunday from 9/10 am to 8/9 pm.

 

Post offices are usually open from Monday to Friday between 8 am and 6 pm. Only the bigger post centers and post offices in shopping centers are open for longer Quick post services are available at the Hungarian post (EMS service) but independent inland and international courier companies (e.g. DHL, TNT, Fedex) are also on the market.

 

In Hungary, the opening hours of banks are usually from 8 am to 4 pm on weekdays. Only banks in shopping centers are open for longer. ATM machines are accessible throughout the country. The most often used credit/cash cards — AMEX, Diners Club, EnRoute, Euro/Mastercard, JCB, VISA — can be used to withdraw cash from banks and ATM machines and to pay bills in certain restaurants and shops. Emblems at the entrance indicate which cards are accepted at the store.

 

Express international money transfer services at Western Union are also available in Hungary.

 

 

Phoning in Hungary
 

International dial code for Hungary is 36. I you call a local number simply dial the 7 digit (in case of Budapest) or the 6 digit (in case of in the country calls) number. For long distance calls in Hungary dial 06, then wait for another dial tone and dial the area code, then the phone number. For international calls dial the international code 00 (wait for the dial tone) and then dial the code of the country and the town, then dial the required number.

 

A number of public phones are available in Hungary. You can use these with 10, 20, 50 and 100 HUF coins or with phone-cards available in hotels, post offices, petrol stations, news agents, kiosks and street vendors.
Mobile phoning is possible in the whole country and 3G mobile internet services are also available at most places. Mobile phone networks run on 900/1800 MHz.

 

 

Time, electricity voltage, metric units
 

Hungarians say time not according to am and pm system. Till 12 am the system and reading is the same, but after they add the hours up till 12pm. This way 4 pm equals 16:00. Hungarians usually write hours also in the following way: 16h, where letter ’h’ stands for hour.

 

In Hungary electricity voltage is 220V/50Hz so you will need a converter if your gadgets run on a different system (110V/60Hz).

 

In Hungary SI metrics are used. To convert from English units to SI metrics you can use the calculator on the following link: http://www.onlineconversion.com/

 

 

Work time, holidays
 

In Hungary white collar workers usually work from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4 pm or 9 am to 5 pm. This work time includes a lunch break of 30 minutes. Saturdays, Sundays, Christian (Easter, Pentecost, Christmas) and public holidays (1 January, 15 March, 1 May, 20 August, 23 October, 1 November) are not working days.
A fresh graduate of 21 years as a starter worker has 20 days holiday a year. This number increases with age. One can also get plus time off: a maximum 7 days according to the number of children in family and a maximum of 5 days if you work under the ground or close to ionized radiation. Of course the employer can give out plus holidays to its people over these numbers. Employees dispose of ¼ of their yearly holiday, of the other part the employer can decide.